


Sorting Identities

by silsecri



Category: Dark Angel
Genre: Fix-it fic, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-15
Updated: 2014-11-15
Packaged: 2018-02-24 17:44:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2590529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silsecri/pseuds/silsecri
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alec makes a worrying discovery and decides to do something about it</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sorting Identities

**Author's Note:**

> Re-post of an old story for the sake of archiving all my fic together.
> 
> Thanks to Roon for her wonderful beta’ing.

**Sorting Identities**  
By lyra

 

 

“Hey, Dix, check me out for the night, will ya?” Alec patted the transhuman on the back as he was on his way to the railing where he could see Max and Logan talking. ‘Whispering is more like it,’ Alec snorted mentally. ‘What the hell is with that guy, can’t he talk like a normal person?’

Alec gazed around the room once he got into the metal structure, all around there were freaks and Xs working smoothly on their assigned tasks. After three weeks of siege, Alec was feeling a little too crowded so he was going out for the night. Without anyone’s knowledge, of course. He didn’t feel like getting a lecture from Max, ‘or God forbid, from her puppy’. He was taking his bike for a ride outside the city. Driving he wouldn’t be an easy target for those thermal scanners and besides the cold wind would keep him under their radar as well. He wasn’t looking for trouble and knowing what to look for he was smart enough to deal with the threat.

He could already catch snippets of what was being said in their oh-so-important secret meeting. ‘Really, one would think they’d remember they were in a room full of people with enhanced hearing.’ Probably half the room could hear what they were saying. ‘If anyone cared.’

“…So everything’s calm for now. He doesn’t remember anything, yet. No odd questions or abnormal behaviour of any kind,” Logan was saying.

“How often do they check in with you?” Max asked worried.

“Every two weeks if there’s nothing to report. Instantly if there is. Nothing’s happened in all the time he’s been in there. Don’t worry, Max, if Zack remembered anything at all I’d know about it instantly,” Logan assured her in that irritating 'I-know-it-all-I’m-the-best' tone of his.

Alec’s ears perked up at Zack’s mention. He’d never gotten the whole story when Brother Zack appeared and then disappeared a while back. “So what is good ol’ Zack up to?” Alec asked from behind, interrupting the pair.

Max’s glare was immediate and Logan’s annoyance was easy to read even though it was obvious to Alec he was trying to appear indifferent. ‘Keep working on it, pal, your *nothing bothers me* mask sucks.’ Alec chuckled, amused at their reactions.

“None of your business. What do you want?” Max snapped impatiently.

‘Arrgghh… I’m so sick of this.’ Alec rolled his eyes. “Nevermind. I’m calling it a night. If anyone around here is desperate enough to need ‘me’ for anything, call me. If not, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Alec’s bitterness got the better of him for a moment. He turned around and sighed.

He’d thought they’d gotten past this shit, but obviously it was more wishful thinking on his part than anything else. His jaw tensed when he heard Max mutter ‘asshole’ and go back to his conversation with Logan, dismissing Alec from her mind.

Alec’s step faltered for a second before he forced himself to keep walking and exit the building. But his mind kept going back to what he’d heard. ‘Damn feline DNA,’ Alec thought. ‘Curiosity is gonna get me in trouble one of these days.’

He changed direction and walked around the building. When he got to the back he studied the wall for a second, picturing the inside of HQ in his mind and everyone he’d seen just a minute ago in relation to his current position. When he could see it as clearly as if he was standing inside he went to the far left of the wall and climbed up the pipe about 10 feet high before latching himself to the wall and using the decay of the building to get to the spot where he could already hear Max talking to Logan through the wall.

‘Well, at least it’s a moonless night. It lessens the chances that someone will catch me playing lizard with this wall,’ Alec mused. Suddenly the whole thing struck him as ridiculous and he was about to jump down and forget it all when he heard Logan.

“Max, don’t worry. He’s fine. Zack’s safe and no one knows he’s on that farm.” Logan’s voice sounded muffed and somehow even more patronizing through the brick wall, but what he was saying made no sense at all to Alec. ‘What in the hell is he talking about? Have they changed the topic already?’

“I know that, Logan, but I still worry.” Max paused for a bit, and when she started talking again it was in an appeasing tone. Alec could just picture Logan’s hurt face at Max’s doubting his abilities and he chuckled hearing her next words. “I know you have everything under control, Logan, it’s just that he is Zack. He means so much to me…” she trailed off.

Alec was about to start pulling his hair out in frustration. ‘English, people! I need you to speak in whole sentences so I can figure out what’s going on.’

“I wish I could go check on him myself. Make sure he’s doing fine. Not knowing who he is or what he can do can’t be a good place to be in…” Max left the sentence hanging again but Alec didn’t need to hear any more.

He dropped to the ground and leaned on the wall, trying to put all the pieces together in his mind. Everything he knew, what he’d just heard… he forced his mind to recall every conversation he’d overheard from Max. With Logan, OC, Joshua… anyone.

And what he came up with resulted in a very pissed Alec. “She couldn’t have… she wouldn’t,” Alec said pacing back and forth. And then two things came to the front of his mind: Logan’s I-know-what’s-best-for-you attitude and Max’s guilt and sorrow filled voice.

“Fuck! She DID!” Alec realized and walked back to the building’s entrance with a hard face and a resolution he hadn’t felt in a long time.

‘Who would have thought THIS would make ME tick?’ he wondered.

***************

Alec stormed in HQ. Everyone’s eyes fell on him and those in his path scurried away as fast as they could. Max and Logan looked at him, too. Max was about to demand an explanation but when she saw him walking straight towards them, she chose to wait until he got there.

‘Wise choice,’ Alec thought. When he got to the top of the stairs, he turned around and looked at the rest of the people in the room. He didn’t say anything, but then he didn’t need to. Everyone went back to what they'd been doing.

Max opened her mouth at the same moment that Alec turned to look at them and the words died in her throat. She’d never seen Alec look this determined.

“Sit down, Logan,” Alec said, his voice strangely calm and hard at the same time, and Max realized that Logan had been about to stand and talk but Alec’s order, and it was an order, cut him cold.

“I’m going to lay this theory out for you. A theory I came up with after eavesdropping on you, just for the hell of it. And when I’m done, you’re going to tell me just how wrong I am.”

“What the fuck are you-” Max said angrily, but a burning glare from Alec halted her mid-sentence. His eyes bore into hers and she felt herself cower for an instant before he closed his eyes, breathing deeply as if trying to get himself under control, leaving her wondering what the hell had happened. But she still said nothing more.

“What can I say? I’m part cat, I was bored and you picked my curiosity.” Alec said, the words nonchalant, but his voice cold like steel. “Now what I’ve come to believe is that, somehow, all the progress Zack made in the memory department during his brief visit with us a while back, was unmade,” Alec flicked his hands over Max, “and you, for unknown and unthinkable reasons to me, sent him unprotected and unknowing to a farm. To rot.”

“That’s not what happened-”

“I’m not talking to you, Logan,” Alec said, his eyes never leaving Max. “You just sit there and shut up.” He could feel Logan’s rage and hatred on his skin but Alec wasn’t interested in him. Yet. “I’m waiting,” he said simply.

“I did,” Max said, her eyes on her own hands, not daring to look at Alec, or even Logan.

“Max, that’s not what happened. You know we did the right thing and he’s making it sound like we just wanted to get rid of Zack,” Logan tried to convince Max, but when she looked at him what Logan saw in her eyes made him shudder. There was doubt and unease there.

Alec had been about to shut Logan again when he saw Max’s reaction and he replayed Logan’s statement in his mind.

“Guilty much, Logan?” he said.

Logan spared Alec an inquiring if frustrated glance before looking back at Max, whose face had gone blank.

“Nothing in what I said implied any ‘getting rid’ of anyone. Total disinterest or care, yes, but nothing else,” Alec went on, studying Max’s face all the time.

She looked like she’d had an epiphany or revelation and she wasn’t ready to deal with it so she was pushing it to the back of her mind for later examination.

“I’m still waiting, Max,” Alec prompted her.

“What are you waiting for? I already said you were right. I did. I sent Zack to a farm. A Zack with no memory of being X5-599. With no idea of who he is, or what he is.” Max swallowed against the lump in her throat. “I sent him away.”

“I’m waiting for a why,” Alec said. ‘Not that it matters,’ he fumed inwardly, ‘how could she do that?’

“Manticore brainwashed him, he was convinced that Logan was responsible for our failure in taking Manticore down. He tried to kill Logan. I stopped him the only way I could and it made him forget everything again. But Dr. Carr said things were bound to happen again in the same way, so…” she couldn’t finish.

“So you sent him away,” Alec finished for her. He turned on Logan then. “Your idea?”

Logan didn’t say a word but his eyes spoke loud and clear for him.

Alec looked at Max again. “Dumb and wrong as it was to do that then, why is he still there now that the world has gone crazy with the mutant hunting?” he asked. “I would have thought,” he went on when it became clear that Max wasn’t going to speak, “not even you would be stupid enough to do that,” he spat the last part. “What were you thinking?!” Alec demanded raising his voice. “Fuck, Max! After what happened to-” Alec snapped his mouth shut. He closed his eyes and took deep breaths. “Logan, I want the address to that farm. Dix! Get someone to fill the tank of my bike to the brim and get me an extra battery for my phone. A ‘fixed’ one. Mole, ammunition for my Glock and two good knives, and a rifle for my bike. Josh, pack me a bag with some food, I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

“I’m going with you,” Max said, getting to her feet.

“No,” Alec said. “You don’t get to ride back into his life now. You opted out, remember? You need to stay here and keep the dialogue with police and politicians going, anyway.” Alec looked at her for a long moment before he turned. “The address, Logan.”

Logan looked at Max for a clue on what to do but she was looking at the floor. He typed a few commands on his laptop, a laptop that Alec had brought from Joshua’s house for him, and read the address for Alec.

‘Half a day away,’ Alec thought. He went down the stairs and took the package Mole handed him, then went to Dix and grabbed the batteries he was holding out for him.

“Your bike will be ready when you’re back,” Dix said in a low voice.

Alec nodded and left the warehouse for the second time in half an hour. Considerably angrier than the first time, but his anger directed at the same person both times.

He felt her before she fell in step beside him. Alec stiffened.

“But there was nothing I could do,” Max pleaded with him, for some reason feeling as bad for his reaction as for what she now realized had been a horrible mistake.

“Drop it, Max,” Alec said through gritted teeth. He was determined to keep his cool this time. Then he couldn’t help himself. “There’s always something to do. If you’d only asked…” he didn’t finish his sentence.

But it still rang loudly in Max’s head. ‘…me. If you’d only asked me.’ A flare of indignation flooded her and she fought her urge to snap at him and ask what the hell did he think he could have done. But she managed.

“Alec? Please?”

“Oh no! You don’t get to ‘Alec, please’ me now. You have your head so high up your ass that you can’t see straight. Did it ever occur to you that maybe someone other than Logan could help you?” There was bitterness in his voice and something close to disappointment.

Something that cut through her. “How could you have helped, Alec?” Max asked in a timid voice, showing real interest in what felt like the first time.

Alec kept silent a long time. They had reached his building and he entered with Max in tow. She knew he was mad as hell at her so she kept quiet but didn’t leave his side. Alec opened the door to his apartment and left it open behind him. Max took it as a good sign.

He went to his bedroom and pulled a bag from the closet and put it on his bed. Alec grabbed a few clothes and some personal stuff and threw them in the bag. Then he closed it and lowered it to the floor by the bed. He sat down and looked at Max. “I’m not sure I could have helped, Max. But I sure as hell would have tried. There are lots of things you don’t know about our training, not that you ever bothered to ask anyway.”

“I know that. But he shot himself in the head, Alec. It’s not like they forced him to forget. He blew his head. He had a chip in his brain connecting his memories.”

“I know. But you don’t know what they did. And the memories were there and were his. And any kind of brainwashing they did on him can be overcome, Max.”

Max’s expression was thoughtful for a moment, and instead of lashing out the way she always did, she thought about what he’d said.

Alec saw the light in her eyes the moment she got his meaning.

“But I didn’t know, then. I didn’t know you.” Alec’s face closed off in a heartbeat and she read him like a book, for the first time ever. ‘You don’t know me now, either,’ his face said.

“You should have asked,” he finally said. “But you didn’t bother.” Alec was silent for a moment and then he stood and walked up to her, standing just inside his bedroom, and looked her straight in the eyes. “The worst part is that if this situation had happened last week instead of months ago you still wouldn’t have asked.”

Alec took his bag from the floor and went to the door. “I’ll be gone for a while. I have my cell. Call if I’m needed.”

****************

Alec’s bike raced against the wind down the highway. The road was mostly deserted at this time of night and he didn’t need to pay much attention to his driving, thanks to his enhanced reflexes, which left him with nothing to do but think.

Alec had been fighting the realization that he’d been wrong for weeks now. There was a small voice in the back of his mind that chose the strangest times to whisper to him that he had to stop trying. It just wouldn’t work.

When he’d first met Max he saw a rebel, a fighter, someone with so much passion… enough to burn her and those around her. And he’d wanted that. She was everything that the other Xs around him weren’t. She had a mind of her own and the will to keep it that way.

Since he’d insinuated himself into her life he had tried to be her friend. Yeah, she was hot. But she was too Logan-ized to even see anyone else. And that was fine with him. The world was full of hot women.

But there weren’t that many Manticore survivors around, especially not like her. It was good to have someone close that knew where you’re coming from, who understands your baggage and shares it, to a point.

So what if she didn’t think of him as a friend? It would come. And so what if she only called him if she needed something? She must know that she could count on him. And so what if she never had a kind word for him? He did like to make her mad.

Alec always thought that it was just him that she didn’t really know how to relate to, but she was a good person with everyone else.

‘Yeah, right! She sent Zack away! There was just no justification for that.’ He just couldn’t bend his mind around it. If that had been Zack’s fate what could anyone else hope for? And that wasn’t even the real problem. Alec couldn’t help but wonder when had she lost that mind of her own that he’d liked so much at first. She had lost herself completely in her need to fit in with Logan. She allowed his beliefs and views to dictate her own and Alec feared she didn’t even realize it. It was frustrating and angering at the same time that she had given up so easily something she’d fought so hard for while at Manticore.

That voice was louder now. Way louder. Alec had been trying to connect with Max’s inner good person for a long time. When they’d talked about Ben, Alec thought he’d finally found his way in, and things had gotten better for a little while. But apparently it had been only him. It hurt when she told him about her lie to Logan. Not only because she hadn’t bothered to take into account his thoughts or feelings about it, not even enough to tell him about the ruse, but because it showed how little she thought of him. He’d realised then just how wrong he’d been about her all along.

‘It just won’t work.’

****************

“I’m here,” Alec said into his cell phone. “I don’t know how long this will take. You know how to reach me.”

“Sure thing, Alec,” Luke said. “Be careful there, buddy. There won’t be any rescue party if you’re made and things go sideways.”

“Oh, come on, Luke, it’s me you’re talking to,” Alec said with mock hurt and he could hear Luke’s laughter in the other end of the line.

“Exactly. Keep in touch. Bye.” The line went dead.

Alec could see the farm down the road. It was almost dawn and there was light in the house already. There were two figures moving around the first floor. Alec searched for a third person but couldn’t find anyone else. He left the bike some distance away from the road and walked the rest of the way. It wouldn’t do any good to announce his visit when he didn’t know who would be getting the news. Some recon was in order.

When he rounded the main house he found a smaller building, some kind of barn, he guessed. There was a small light in the top and Alec could see Zack leaning on the large window frame looking at the horizon. He didn’t look like someone who’d just woken up and Alec guessed he had been up most of the night. Zack’s face was blank and Alec couldn’t figure out if he was lost in thought or keeping watch.

“I know you’re there.”

Alec was startled when he saw Zack’s lips moving and the sound barely reached his ears. Zack hadn’t shouted nor had he moved an inch. He had known where Alec was and that he could be heard from there.

‘If Zack remembered anything at all I’d know about it instantly.’ Logan’s words came to mind. ‘Idiot,’ Alec thought. If Zack had remembered something he sure as hell wouldn’t tell these people who had been lying to him for months, and he was smart enough to hide it.

Adam looked towards the house through the smaller window at his back. The lights on the first floor were off now and that meant that Buddy and Mary were already in the kitchen. This window was in the side of the barn that didn’t face the house, and he knew it would still be 20 minutes before anyone came out to start the day’s chores.

He put one hand on the ledge and with the grace of a big cat jumped over it, landing in a crouch in the ground below. He started walking towards the stranger’s position and saw the guy walking to meet him halfway.

When they were about 6 feet from each other they stopped and faced off. 

Alec had no idea what was going through Zack’s mind. He obviously knew what he could do, but did that mean he remembered? Had he accidentally discovered his own limits? Or did he just know?

Adam watched this man in front of him. Someone who was different, just like him, but he had no idea what the other man was doing here. Adam had been thinking at the window just like every other night when he’d caught movement from the corner of his eye. He’d followed the blur, it moved faster than the normal eye could see. As fast as Adam himself could move. When the movement had stopped and Adam had seen this man he knew that he was finally going to get his answers. Whether from friend or foe.

“Well, are we fighting or talking?” Adam said finally.

Alec smirked. “Talking sounds good to me.” He stepped forward and extended his hand. “Alec.”

Adam shook the offered hand but didn’t answer immediately. Finally, he said, “Adam… or so I’m told.”

Alec saw the flicker of weirdness in Zack’s eyes. It looked like he didn’t like introductions, or at least having to introduce himself. Like his name didn’t sit well with him.

“You’re told?” Alec asked, raising an eyebrow in faked surprise. “Is there any reason for you to doubt it?”

Adam thought about it for a second, struggling with his inner feelings, that instinct that insisted that this wasn’t his name, or his life. But as always he squashed it. “Guess not.”

Alec wasn’t fooled. Zack had his reasons, he just wasn’t telling. ‘Good. It wouldn’t do to have him spilling the beans to strangers. Even though he knows I’m not exactly a stranger.’ Aloud, he said. “But?”

Adam didn’t want to go into details in the middle of the field. It was better to move the party inside, and since apparently there wasn’t going to be any fighting he wanted to bring the meeting to his terrain. “Let’s get inside. I’ll go tell Buddy I’m not going with him today. Go up to my room.” It felt natural to him to take charge of the situation, but Adam shrugged the feeling off.

“Ok,” Alec said, already moving in the direction of the barn. He was comfortable giving Zack some control over the whole thing. It still was Alec in charge at the end of the day.

Five minutes later Zack climbed the stairs to his ‘room’ to find Alec looking out the window, exactly where he had been earlier. “I want answers,” he said, going straight to the point.

Alec chuckled. “I bet you do, but I’m going to need some questions first, right?”

Adam didn’t find the situation funny at all, but he could see Alec was in no hurry to finish this. “Who am I? What am I?”

‘Wrong order, pal,’ Alec thought. “What? You’re a transgenic. Who? X5-599, aka Zack.”

“Zack,” Adam… Zack muttered.

“Rings a bell?” Alec prodded.

“Maybe,” Zack answered curtly. “So I’m one of the freaks from the TV? And so are you?”

Alec studied him for a second. “Haven’t seen your barcode, Zack?”

Zack lowered his gaze. Ever since he first heard about it on TV he’d been thinking about it. He just hadn’t been able to make himself look for one, because if he had a barcode then that brought more questions than answers and he saw no way to find the answers he would need… “No,” he said looking back at Alec. “I haven’t checked yet.”

“Well, go on. Do it now,” Alec said, pointing to the open door of the bathroom in the corner behind Zack.

Zack entered the bathroom and turned on the light. There was a mirror in the inside of the door and another one hanging over the sink. Angling the door so that he could see the reflection of its mirror from the sink he stood in the middle of the room. He could see the black lines on his neck, and he could read them too. “330417291599,” he whispered.

“Yep,” came the answer from outside the bathroom.

Zack came out of the room turning out the light, the sun was already out and the sky outside was a dark purple going on blue for the moment. Alec’s face was a little dark standing against it as he was. “Let me see yours.”

Alec thought about it for a second and then shrugged. “It’s only coming back now, I lasered it off. You can’t read it yet, but you can see it,” he said walking towards Zack and turning around while pulling his shirt down with one hand.

A moment later Zack went to sit on his bed and Alec turned again to go back to the window. He felt strangely fascinated by the sight. He could see why Zack liked it. The view had a calming effect on him. ‘Weird,’ Alec thought.

“You look familiar,” Zack said interrupting Alec’s thoughts.

“Figures!” Alec said rolling his eyes. “You don’t remember yourself but of course you remember my psycho twin.”

Zack chose to ignore the psycho reference and focused on the other part. “So it’s not you that I remember?”

“Nah. We’ve met before. But it was only once, if you don’t count the one time when you tried to strangle me, and that would’ve disappeared with the fireworks,” Alec said, more to himself than to Zack who was looking at him like he had sprout another head.

“What?” Zack managed to say.

“Nevermind, we’ll go over all that later. The thing is that the person you remember is not me.”

Zack shook his head. He had a feeling Alec would go off the trail if he were allowed, so Zack decided to get them back on track. “The news. I don’t remember my life but the things they’re saying on TV don’t feel true. Tell me about Manticore.”

So Alec did. He told Zack about project Manticore, its origins and purpose, its creation and doings. The people in charge. A nice and cold explanation of the bare facts.

“That covers pretty much the what, but I still don’t know much about the who,” Zack said. “Who am I in all that?”

Alec pondered over how to go about this next part. “You have a lot of knowledge trapped in your brain, Zack. I can tell you what I know about ‘you’. But it’s not much.” He made a pause. “I’d rather help you find the key to your own memories.”

“So what happened to me?”

“You took a bullet to the head that went through your brain, and did much less damage than it could have.” Alec seemed to think about that for a moment and then shook his head. “I don’t know if I can help you remember on your own. But there are other means available if I can’t. Give me the chance to try it my way first.”

“I don’t think I have much choice in the matter, do I?”

“Actually, you do,” Alec said seriously, he was going to let Zack decide for himself. “I have a theory,” he said and waited for Zack’s nod to continue. “I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but you have a few body parts that aren’t yours.”

“What do you mean?” Zack asked puzzled.

“Well, for starters, the bullet entered through your right temple and exited through your left eye socket, so that’s one thing that isn’t yours. Your left eye.” Alec let that sink in for an instant and then went on. “And Manticore used you as a private organ bank. You have some artificial organs, and biosynthetic materials in you.”

Zack flinched. It was bad enough to discover that you’re a chimera but add a cyborg to that and you have a really messed up Zack.

“I’m telling you this because to make those parts fit better and help you develop skin to cover the implants and what not you have nanocytes circulating in your bloodstream. Self-replicating, molecular-scale biomachines designed to repair tissue damage. And together with the stem cells that we all have I’m thinking your brain may have repaired those links that the bullet destroyed. It just may have taken longer than the other repairs.” Zack seemed to be following him even if he looked a little ill at the idea. “If I’m right, maybe all you need to do is to work in overriding any kind of brainwashing and manipulating they did on you. That’s where I think I can help.”

Zack took a moment to digest all he’d just been told. He was glad he was sitting because some of the things Alec had said would have knocked him down otherwise. Taking a deep breath, he spoke. “Well, that sounded like a bad sci-fi plot to me.” Then a small smile curved his lips. “But then again, almost everything you’ve said since ‘Alec’ has sounded pretty much like that so…”

Alec laughed. “You’ll try it my way, then?”

“I’ll try.”

Something occurred to Alec then. “Can we stay here? I mean it’s safe and warm and there’s food, but you won’t be able to help in the farm while we work on your memories and believe me when I say that you won’t be able to leave fast enough once you remember… so maybe we should leave now,” Alec finished, letting the choice to Zack.

“These are good people. We can stay here, at least for a while.”

****************

Alec had been right. Zack had only needed a push in the right direction to find his way back. They'd started with the early years of Manticore because long time memory is the more resilient and because it was the only link they had in common. And once Zack had been able to summon the memories on his own they’d gone on to the years after the escape and the more recent ones.

The memories had been buried, especially the personal ones. Alec had paid extra attention to the dream versus reality issue, but as far as he could see, Zack could distinguish between them.

Remembering Max had been tough on Zack. It had been that, actually, that had convinced Alec about Zack’s mental stability. What Max had done had been a bitter pill to swallow.

The mention of Eyes Only had brought back to the surface the manipulation by Manticore, and Alec had done his best to help Zack through it. But Zack was the only one who could take the final steps through it to free himself. Alec was certain that at some point Zack had debated if he really wanted to overcome that particular conditioning. Blaming Logan for everything was the perfect excuse for killing him. Alec couldn’t blame him. But Zack had conquered it.

The rest of the brainwashing, involving his siblings and his orders to turn them in had he ever remembered their whereabouts, had been a lot easier because it felt wrong on an instinctive level to Zack and so it hadn’t taken much to push past it. With Logan, the predisposition to dislike and ‘attack’ him had been there long before Manticore had played mind games.

Obviously, the first thing that Zack had done when he’d gotten the ‘clear bill of health’ from Alec had been to check on the rest of his siblings. That had been a ‘funny’ day. Krit and Syl had been the hardest to convince that it was really Zack and he was fine. Jondy had been sobbing and laughing the whole time they were on the phone… But they were all fine. There had been some trouble along the way but nothing major.

Now the only thing left was decide what to do next.

***************

“I’m going back to TC,” Alec said.

They were sitting in the ledge of the window in Zack’s room. They had spent a lot of the past three weeks exactly there. Just talking and working.

“I’m not sure what I should do.” Zack chuckled a little. “This may be the first time I’ve said that out loud.”

“Don’t worry, pal, I won’t tell anyone,” Alec said smiling. They had struck a sort of friendship, which was odd in Alec’s opinion, because they couldn’t be more different. ‘Maybe that’s the reason,’ he thought. His expression went back to serious. “It’s not my place to tell you what to do, man. But if you want my opinion… if I were you, I’d go to one of your siblings. Stay with them for a while, at least until you deal with everything and figure out what you want to do next.”

Zack looked out to the sky. The sun was setting and it felt like they were closing a cycle. They had started this whole thing with the light of a new day and now their time here was over with the coming of the night.

Alec saw the pensive look in Zack’s eyes and added, “I think it might be a good idea to get them together. If they haven’t planted roots in one place like Max did, and they can change location without too much trouble, of course. The cat is out of the bag now. There’s no point in staying apart. Strength in numbers, you know? You might need it now that everything’s gone to hell.”

“I’ll think about that. But you might be right. I’ll call Zane and stay with him.” Zack looked at Alec. “You know the number. I’ll get in touch with you when I get on my feet again. If I’m needed I want to be reachable.” He paused for a bit. “For emergency’s sake.”

He didn’t need to spell who might need him or that he didn’t want her to reach him in any other case. Zack would need time to come to terms with that particular memory before he could even give her the chance to lay her case.

Alec got to his feet and brushed his pants. “So this is it.”

Zack stood also and faced him. “Thank you, Alec.”

Alec smirked. “Call it my inner Ben, I just couldn’t stomach the thought of ‘the great Zack’ stuck in a farm playing with cows.” Then he lost the smile. “It was just wrong, and dangerous for you.”

“Yeah…” Zack said tersely.

Alec kicked himself for even thinking his next words but he couldn’t help saying them. “I’m sure sooner or later she would have realized that, too.”

“Maybe.” Zack walked to the closet and pulled Alec’s bag, giving it to him. Alec took it and started getting his things together, not that there was much. “Take care of everything back there?”

Alec froze for an instant and then went on, finishing and closing the bag, he turned around to face Zack. “I’d like to tell you that I will, Zack. But I can’t. She just won’t let me…” he trailed off, almost debating with himself, “…And truth is, I’ve come to realize I don’t really want to anymore.” Alec felt like a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Saying it out loud had felt liberating. He was free.

Zack understood. “Good luck, man.”

“You too, Zack. Call if you need anything.” At Zack’s nod, Alec started for the stairs.

Zack watched him walk to his bike, parked next to Buddy’s truck. He saw Alec straddle the bike and rev up the engine. Reaching for his phone and dialling the now familiar number, Zack returned Alec’s final nod goodbye. “Zane? Hey, man…”

****************

Alec entered TC through one of the secret tunnels and wasn’t really surprised when he saw Max leaning on the wall a few feet ahead of him. She looked expectant for a moment, but when it became obvious that Alec was alone her face fell.

“What happened?” she asked.

“He remembered,” Alec said simply.

“And?” she prompted him.

“And he’s gone, Max.”

“What? Where?” Max’s panic was clear in her face and her voice.

“He went to stay with one of your siblings. I don’t know which one so don’t bother to ask.”

“But… I thought he’d come back with you…” she trailed off. When Alec had told the guys that he was staying a little longer than expected because it was working she’d been ecstatic. She was going to get the chance to make amends, but now…

Alec didn’t really want to hurt her. He just didn’t want to burden himself with making her happy or even being in her good book. “He will, someday. Probably. But it’ll be when he wants to. It’s out of your hands now, Max. And as far as I’m concerned, it’s gonna stay that way,” he said almost indifferently. “He remembered everything, Max. Even the last time you saw him.” He watched her eyes widen in pain and regret. “He’ll come back, though I don’t know why.”

His words and the memories that brought back made her realize that they weren’t in the best of terms either. “Alec… we-”

But Alec cut her off. He wasn’t interested. “No. 'We' nothing, Max.” He started walking towards his building, then paused and turned to say, “Get me if TC needs anything.” And he kept walking. Leaving Max behind.

 

 


End file.
